The Chosen
by saltandbyrne
Summary: He had never wanted this assignment; actually quite the opposite. When God chooses Castiel to be the charge angel of the Winchester boys, all hell breaks lose. Quite literally. The Chosen is a story of loss, love, and the importance of free will.
1. Chapter 1

The garrison had been buzzing today with the latest news. Everyone in the Garrison had been talking about these Winchester boys. The Father was finally going to be choosing a charge angel for them, and everyone was crossing their fingers for the honor. _I solemnly hope that this task is not put on me_, thought Castiel quietly to himself.

He seemed to be the only one in the Thursday Garrison who was less than thrilled with the possibility of having this job put on his shoulders. He had heard of the Winchesters on and off for what felt like forever. In complete honesty, he was starting to grow weary of the constant chatter, but he would never admit this out loud to anyone. These brothers would be the vessels of Castiel's own brothers, and they were of the upmost importance.

The tall and sturdy one, Sam if he remembers correctly, seemed to be the brains of the operation. He was just like his father in every way; probably why they did not get along to swimmingly. Sam would be an easy charge, Castiel thought absently as he strode into his barrack. He seemed prone to duty and understanding. _He seems like he would be a much better choice to house Michael,_ Castiel contemplated. He felt sorry for the gangly man that he would be chosen for Lucifer and eventually fall.

Dean Winchester, however, is Michael's vessel of choice. Castiel watched dean from a very young age (all angels were required some observation time of the vessels, to prepare them if they were chosen). Castiel did not quite enjoy Dean's surly mannerism, but he saw that his soul was truly the purer of the two brothers. Castiel began to grow attached to the elder Winchester the first time he had watched him. It was Dean's passionate loyalty to family, which truly made him of intrigue. Castiel began to identify with him more and more.

When Castiel found out that Dean had sacrificed his soul to a Crossroads Demon, he was truly shocked. Initially he thought that Dean was even dumber than he looked. As he took a closer look into Dean's psyche, though, he saw how much love and affection was underneath his sacrifice. Castiel brimmed with pride after that, which was quite unusual.

Angels were not supposed to be sentient beings. They were created to be the servant and soldiers of Heaven. God had created the humans with emotions, not angels. The first times that Castiel could truly remember feeling though was when Dean made that decision. An overwhelming sense of grief for this man overcame him. So much sacrifice always made with not much in return.

The day that Dean was dragged to hell was when Castiel first felt anger. Castiel found himself jaw clenched and knuckles white from observation decks. He quickly shoved down those feelings and got up. _God has a plan for the Winchester Boys, especially the eldest one._ soothed Castiel silently.

Unexpectedly there was a soft knocking at the door, which was more of a gesture than anything; angels were not really allowed much privacy, except within their own minds. Castiel shook off the negative memories and began to get up, but Balthazar strode in with his usually easy and confidence.

"Hello, Castiel. Are you eager to hear the results of Father's decision?" Castiel grimaced, "You know I have no interest in protecting the Winchesters." "Well a few of my friends in the Tuesday Garrison are almost certain that a servant will be chosen from our garrison." _Of course, the angel would be chosen from here_, Castiel thought bitterly.

Suddenly something began to tug at Castiel's grace and soon he was standing in the Throne Room of God Himself. He smiled uncomfortably, and shifted in his garments. The room was so beautiful and grand, unlike anything seen at the barracks.

"Hello, my son. How are you on this beautiful day in Paradise."

"Erm, wonderful, si—father! And you?"

"Well, they just appointed a new leader of hell, so that is quite disappointing. Crowley, I believe his name is? I have never heard of him though, so he cannot be that threatening." Father said with ease.

"Yes, me either—he's no match for you no matter the case." Castiel chuckles uncomfortably, unsure what to say next, but I mean what do you say to the God of the universe when you are standing a few feet away? "Uh, Father, was there a reason you wanted to see me—?"

"Ah, yes. Right, you have been chosen to take charge of the operation to retrieve Dean Winchester from Hell. I know that you have not exactly been thrilled with all the commotion surrounding the Winchesters, but you are just the kind of soldier I need on this detail. Are you willing to accept your assignment?"

"Yes, o—of course, Father. Anything to further the Kingdom", his reply was as cheery as he could maintain.

"You leave tomorrow, I am also assigning Zachariah and Daniel to aid you. Hell can be a very tricky place for angels." Father spoke with finality.

Castiel walked out feeling the weight of everything that had just transpired. Understanding that once he actually came face to face with this Dean Winchester that he had seen and heard so much about something was going to change. Anxiety was never something that Castiel really enjoyed though. This mission definitely was not going to be the black-white morality that he enjoyed so much.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting Dean out of heaven was not going to be a walk in the Garden. The night before his departure, Castiel was required to run through all the of his garrisons retrieval methods. Silently Castiel prayed that dean was not off the rack and on his way to being a full-fledged demon.

After all of the preparation, it was time to descend into hell. Or maybe descend was not the right word exactly. Humans have a skewed vision of heaven and hell, to begin with. Heaven is not floating around in the clouds, gazing down at all the humans. Nor is hell in the underbelly of the earth, waiting do devour souls. Earth, heaven, and hell all shared the same planes; just different dimensions.

When Castiel first laid eyes on the bloodied figure, he felt his grace clench. Zachariah and Daniel must have felt the change in the atmosphere and sent questioning glances his way. He tried to reign in control of his ever-growing emotions and with a shake of his head; he attempted to quell their suspicions. With all that taken care of, the angels got to work.

The angels went to work on extricating Michael's vessel. Daniel smote demons as fast as he could, while Zachariah and Castiel went to work on the myriad of chains keeping dean in place.

"Why wouldone need so man chains for such a weak and batter human?" Castiel wondered aloud.

Zachariah chose not to answer, but continued with the mission instead. Castiel began to heal as much of the shredded flesh as possible. Dean whimpered in protest and his grace tightened with something unidentifiable. As Castiel ran his hands over his body, he was taken about by the shear muscularity of it. _Where did that come from?_ Castiel thought in alarm. He shook his head in disgust and resumed the task at hand.

After dean was released, Zachariah thought it would be best for dean to be unconscious for this ordeal. "He does not need to remember this." Zachariah said calculatedly. With two fingers pressed to a forehead drenched in sweat and blood, dean's body goes even more limp, if that is even possible.

This is when Castiel becomes absolutely imperative. The Father specifically requested him to raise Dean Winchester and he will do just that. With one hand attached to his left should, Castiel grips dean with all the strength of heaven itself. What Castiel did not expect was the jolt of electricity to run through him though.

The trio makes it to earth's dimension and begins the final stage of the assignment: the burial. Daniel hold Dean upright and with a flick of the wrist from Zachariah a Dean-sized hole is created. They lower him in with almost a reverent touch. Castiel whispers a quick prayer of enochian protection over the Living Dean's grave.

The Father was very specific about wanting dean to be buried. When writing the Winchester Gospels, He wanted the prophet to have a clear display of Dean's determination to get back to his life. In other words, heaven was not going to just hand his life over. Dean was, quite literally, going to have to scrape and claw his way back to the land of the living. Although in retrospect, that seemed to be the easiest part of the mission.

Zachariah, Daniel, and Castiel left earth to return from heaven. When back in his garrison, Castiel is overwhelmed with exhaustion. _What was wrong with you back there? What were you thinking? You are not to have emotions, ESPECIALLY not connected with a charge._ Castiel reprimanded himself. He really needed to get his act together if he was going to succeed in this mission.

The next day, the entire span of heaven watched as Dean crawled his way through the dirt. His rebirth, so to speak, was an absolute success and everyone in heaven rejoiced. Castiel could not help but feel a swell of pride. He even tried to communicate with Dean through heaven's wavelength. Although that did not work out very well.

Only specific humans can communicate and hear angels. Assuming that Dean was one such human, Castiel decided to attempt to explain what happened. Instead of actual communication though, Castiel ended up breaking a lot of glass. Castiel's grace felt a slight tugging all of a sudden. Like someone was calling him.

"I invoke, conjure, and command you appear unto me before this circle." a woman's voice chanted over and over.

Castiel warned the woman with his best authority voice, "Please do not attempt this contact. It will only injure you. Turn back. Now." Castiel urged with a fierce tone.

"No, Castiel, I don't scare that easy." the woman said in defiance.

"You have been warned." Castiel spoke with finality. As the woman chanted on, Castiel tried to hold on to his grace. It was practically begging to get out in the world, but he knew that his true form would only be a detriment to the humans gathered around that table. In a moment of weakness, Castiel could no longer hold on and with that the human woman's eye were incinerated in a matter of second.

_Way to go, Castiel. Now they probably think that you are some demon._ Castiel wondered. This mission just got a lot more difficult than had intended. Castiel prayed a silent prayer asking that his Father restore this woman's eyesight. She was not trying to be harmful after all, just helping the Winchester boy. Father gently chided his grace, "You always worry too much about the humans, Castiel." and with that the issue was dropped.


	3. Chapter 3

Since contacting Dean the in the normal way charges and angels usually communicated, Castiel put in his request for a vessel. Castiel had never been to earth as a human, but only as a spiritual entity. When he was given the name "Jimmy Novak" he was a little shocked at how quickly the process moved along. Jimmy Novak was a very honorable and righteous man in the eyes of the Father. Castiel was honored by the gift that he had been given.

Being inside a vessel, though, was not as…enjoyable as Castiel had thought. Human bodies were quick frail and easy damaged. It was like carrying around a human child everywhere you go. Although Jimmy may have asked for this, he was not the most enjoyable of hosts. At first Jimmy tried not to complain too much, but by the end of the first day he let his true thoughts become apparent. With a gentle reprimanding from Father, Jimmy was not much of a problem after that.

Castiel was in a vessel all of a day when he the summoning chants of someone Castiel came to know as Bobby Singer. Instead of resisting, he assumed it would be easier to just arrive at the barn. Wind whipped around him and the lights sparked as Castiel walked towards the men. Castiel made sure to keep a look of apathy on his face. It was almost comical how many wards were painted all over the walls and floor, as if that was going to keep Castiel in place.

As the men started shooting at him, he did not even flinch. Gun fire was nothing compared to what angels of the Lord were trained under. He was slightly annoyed by it though, he really had come to enjoy this overcoat. Dean puts the gun down and decides to try a different method: the demon-killing knife.

"Who are you?" the gruff voice asks, attempting to cover up the true anxiety that was threatening to surface. "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition."

"Yeah, well thanks for that." and with that Dean stabbed him in the chest. Already human beings were confusing him in ways that he had never thought imaginable. Was gratitude not a benevolent thing on earth? Castiel looked down at the knife and then back at Dean. With a subtle smirk gracing his features, Castiel dislodged the blade from his chest. The look of shock on Dean Winchester's face alone was payback enough.

After a lot more struggling, Castiel finally decided that it would be easiest without the elder man. With two fingers pressed to Bobby's forehead, he was out like a light. Dean stared at Castiel with even more alarm if that. "We need to talk, Dean. Alone. Do not be alarmed, your friend is alive." Castiel's gruff voice attempted to soothe.

Dean's eyes narrow and if this were any other situation he probably would be amused, but right now bobby was lying unconscious on the ground so he had bigger fish to fry. Moving closer to Castiel, Dean appraises him. The man standing before him certainly wasn't human; he looked like he had only spent few hours on earth.

"So what the hell are you anyway? You have to have used some pretty bad mojo to have 'raised me from perdition'" Dean said warily with one hand on his gun.

"I am an angel of the Lord." Castiel replied evenly, assessing the arsenal that Bobby and Dean had waiting for him. "I am here to protect you, as you are Michael's vessel."

Dean's eyes shut warily, and he massaged at his temples. He just did not have time for another problem to rise up. Little did he know, Castiel was now doing the appraisal. Being in the presence of Dean Winchester was something many an angel dreamt about in heaven, this was Michael's weapon against Lucifer. A thought dawned on him, seeing the sag of Dean's shoulders and the bags underneath his eyes.

Walking towards Dean, Castiel revels, "You don't think you deserved to be saved."

"You don't know a damned thing about me." Dean seethed, but his startled expression gave him away.

Castiel began to think that maybe this would not be the easy charge that everyone had made it out to be. Dean Winchester was a truly broken man, after spending forty years in hell. Castiel could only equate it to the feeling of receiving his vessel. He believed that Jimmy would be warm and welcoming, but the vessel felt strange and off.

"Well, I know that heaven has work for you yet, Dean Winchester. Do not lose hope just yet." Castiel replies. He prays to Father for a renewed sense of hope within Dean. And in himself if he was being honest with himself.


End file.
